AP English Literature - Literary Terms: 21-40

denotation

especially : a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea

diction

choice of words especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness

dimeter

a line of verse consisting of two metrical feet or of two dipodies

dramatic monologue

a literary work (such as a poem) in which a speaker's character is revealed in a monologue usually addressed to a second person

dramatic situation

refers to the circumstances and events that create tension and conflict in a literary work, often involving characters facing difficult choices or dilemmas

elegy

a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially for one who is dead / a pensive or reflective poem that is usually nostalgic or melancholy

end rhyme

rhyme of terminal syllables of verses

end-stopped rhyme

refers to a metrical line containing a complete phrase or sentence, or a poetic line ending with punctuation

English sonnet aka Shakespearean

a sonnet consisting of three quatrains and a couplet with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg - called also Shakespearean sonnet

enjambment

the running over of a sentence from one verse or couplet into another so that closely related words fall in different lines

epithet

a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing

euphony

a harmonious succession of words having a pleasing sound

exact rhyme

a term for two or more words that sound exactly alike and that create a perfect rhyme together

extended metaphor

a metaphor that spans multiple sentences or paragraphs

feminine rhyme

a rhyme between stressed syllables followed by one or more unstressed syllables

foot

the basic unit of verse meter consisting of any of various fixed combinations or groups of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables

free verse

verse whose meter is irregular in some respect or whose rhythm is not metrical

hexameter

a line of verse consisting of six metrical feet

hyperbole

a way of speaking or writing that makes someone or something sound much bigger, better, smaller, worse, more unusual, etc., than they are

iamb, iambic

a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable followed by one long syllable or of one unstressed syllable